Direct Manchester Airport trains from Dewsbury to be slashed

Direct train services to Manchester Airport from Dewsbury are to be slashed when new timetable changes come into effect in May.

Rail users will have to change at Huddersfield or Manchester Piccadilly to get to the airport when First Transpennine Express (FTPE) make the changes on May 17.

But there will be more trains to Leeds.

Direct services to the airport will still run early in the morning and late at night.

A FTPE spokesman said that, on average, there are only two people getting on at Dewsbury to go to the airport on the current service – 55 people a day.

He added: “We have spent a considerable amount of time – around 18 months – consulting the new timetable, including through local authorities and representatives. No significant objections were raised as part of this consultation process.

“In bringing in five trains an hour between Manchester and Leeds and increasing capacity by around 30 per cent we have had to make difficult decisions about how best to deploy our available resources. The numbers using Dewsbury for connections to Manchester Airport is very small.

“Therefore from May there will be limited direct services between Dewsbury and Manchester Airport. Customers will be advised to travel to Manchester Piccadilly for an onward airport connection.

“There will still be two FTPE trains an hour between Dewsbury and Manchester Piccadilly.”